Comments by "Nicholas Conder" (@nicholasconder4703) on "VisualPolitik EN" channel.

The question is whether this is done for traditional reasons, or because there is a lack of potable water due to an absence of water purification plants. People in most countries don't do this because it is wasteful of fuel and is time consuming. Not to mention the presence of pollutants in many sections of Europe and North America.
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The interesting thing about the sanctions is that Russia is having trouble building tanks, planes and missiles, and making the spare parts required to keep these weapons operating. They rely on the US, Japan, Korea and Taiwan for electronic parts. Oops. And I don't think China produces the computer chips and electronics Russia needs for these weapons. So much for high tech weapons.
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Considering what is at stake for Ukraine, I wonder if the Zelensky government has really gone after the corruption in the country. Reducing the corruption substantially would help them pay for the war as well.
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You also neglected to mention that Russia took control of what was, at that time, Finland's second largest city, Viipuri, and renamed it Vyborg.
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@abdiyousuf7882 It takes years to develop the factories, and the equipment that produces the chips are also obtained from Western sources. Taiwan invested in this technology decades ago, and if Russia cannot even produce some basic parts for their tanks (which is why the sanction on auto parts has been effective), they are unlikely to be able to suddenly build a semiconductor factory overnight.
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I suspect the politicians in Helsinki have also read Dugin's "Foundations of Geopolitics". Considering Finland, like Ukraine, is also on the "hit list", I am not at all surprised they want to join NATO for protection. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundations_of_Geopolitics
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@rex30000 However, part of that deal meant that was that Finland became a Duchy of Russia. Which was then subjected to Russification by Czar Nicholas II, who tried to destroy their culture, eliminate their language, terminate their autonomy and subjugate them. In 1939 Finland tried to stay neutral, but that wasn't enough for the Soviet Union under Stalin. No, Russia tried to annex them in the Winter War, in their entirety. Gee, after having to fight to avoid being overrun by a hostile neighbor and being forced to cede about 10% of their country to the invader, I wonder why the Finns sided with the Germans? Must be a bunch of ingrates for wanting to get their lost territory back. Or were they just being avaricious and wanting the return of their second largest city from Russia?
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Regarding the Russian submarine fleet, a good chunk of it is stationed on the Arctic Ocean, not the Baltic. From Wikipedia, "Northern Fleet's main base is Severomorsk. There are six more naval bases at Polyarnyy, Olenya Bay, Gadzhiyevo (Yagelnaya/Sayda), Vidyayevo (Ura Bay and Ara Bay), Bolshaya Lopatka (Litsa Guba), and Gremikha." However, closing the Baltic Sea will affect maritime trade from western Russia to the rest of the world.
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@gilbertfranklin1537 No, arrogant and megalomaniacal. He probably thought that there would be a lukewarm response by the European nations, like he had received previously when he invaded Georgia and Crimea. Like Hitler before him, he had gotten away with it before, so he figured he would get away with it again.
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The Ukrainians have made it very obvious they are really ticked off with Russia and won't cede any territory. And that includes Crimea.
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@rex30000 Conveniently overlooking the fact that Finland would very likely have remained neutral if Russia hadn't attacked it in 1939 and tried to occupy it, like they did the Baltic countries in 1939-1940. And by the way, you can look all of what I said in Wikipedia. And the vast majority of books not filled with pro-Soviet and pro-Russian propaganda.
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@rex30000 This has nothing to do with Russophobia. I welcomed the formation of Russia in its modern form in 1991. A strong nation on the Eurasian continent is necessary, as a counterbalance and independent viewpoint to both the US and China. Unfortunately, the current leadership has created an authoritarian regime that wants to turn the geopolitical clock back to the period between the 1950s and 1980s using force and coercion. This is wrong. As is trying to destroy a people's language and culture, as the current regime in the Kremlin is doing. It saddens me that a country that had so much potential has a leadership that wants to flush 30 years of progress down the toilet for nationalistic dreams and imperialism. I also hope that the remaining 50% of the Russian population wake up in time and realize where they are being led.
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@anirudhhhh There are some very good videos on why this is not the case. Here is one very good video explaining why: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ84dBSH67w Basically, there is no way to transport the oil to China and India except in small amounts. The pipelines to India and China don't have the capacity to ship enough oil and gas to China and India to make up for the lost EU market. They also don't have the storage facilities to retain the oil and gas even if the pipelines could handle the load. China just shut down its credit card company in Russia. China and India are buying oil and gas from Russia at tremendous discounts (like $20-$30 off per barrel). So it may sound like Russia can just go shopping for other buyers, but the infrastructure is lacking and will take years to build.
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@chrism415 Sorry, but I'm not a Finn, nor do I subscribe to the idea that capitalism is everything. I am just pointing out how most of what Putin and his clique have said and written over the last 10-15 years comes from the Russian version of Mein Kampf. Not surprising, since Putin is an ultra-nationalistic socialist, and National Socialists are Nazis.
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@chrism415 You might want to look up the definitions, and check out TIK's videos about Hitler and the economy of the Nazis. Putin is a socialist - all his major industries are government owned and operated (the oligarchs are merely supervisors), and he is talking about nationalizing (running through public domain) most of the Western businesses that remain in Russia. That is Socialism, the political version (public ownership versus private ownership). He is also a very obvious ultra-nationalist, and is trying to destroy Ukrainian national identity. Add those two together and you get national socialism. It is not as absurd as it first seems.
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@chrism415 Let's see, side with a despot who murders political opponents, jails people for expressing their opinions, invades other countries for reasons of nationalism, threatens everyone who disagrees with him with nuclear war, is attempting to commit social and cultural genocide, ... which side would you support?
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@chrism415 The truth has been revealing itself in little bits and pieces. It is only by looking at the overall trends over time that the pattern appears. One needs to examine Putin's entire career from his time as a KGB Station Chief in Dresden until now to see the patterns of behavior. Everything points to Putin being a psychopath, someone who knows how to fake emotions and tell people what they expect to hear, all the while looking at how to use them as pawns for his own ends. And having few morals or scruples, he has no difficulty ordering the deaths of others if it will further his agenda. Even ignoring the media, the blatant use of force in Chechnya, Georgia and Ukraine in both 2014 and now (without even seeking any form of international approval) should tell you an awful lot about him.
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@chrism415 Considering the fact that my country is one of the reasons that the U.N. Peacekeepers won the Nobel Peace Prize, no, we are not run by psychopaths.
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@chrism415 And how many wars have UN Peacekeepers prevented? A lot.
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@chrism415 Normally it is politicians who start wars. But not always, since wars have been around since people first started using wooden spears and clubs.
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@chrism415 Really big of you to slander those people who volunteer to put their lives on the line to protect non-combatants throughout the world. By the way, the issue in Rwanda was caused because the UN Security Council didn't listen to the peacekeeper's commanding officer, and passed a resolution to withdraw troops. That is the fault of the UN, not the peacekeepers. With regards to the incidents of rape, that happens in any military, unfortunately. That does not mean it should be allowed to happen by any stretch of the imagination. The difficulty lies in the fact that peacekeeping troops are the responsibility of the member nation's officers and laws, not an international standard. Enforcement is a problem, as is UN bureaucratic red tape and coverup. However, I would say it is likely no worse than other armies throughout history, and is being done by the Russians in Ukraine on a regular basis.
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